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2007 Cincinnati Reds Baseball Preview
The Cincinnati Reds (80- 82) are a tough team to figure out. They’ve got some great pitching, an improved defense and potentially damaging hitting. But there are some troubling question marks regarding consistency and health.
Both RHP Bronson Arroyo (14- 11, 3.29 ERA) and RHP Aaron Harang (16- 11, 3.76 ERA) proved to be first-class starters in 2006. But there’s a drop off in the rotation after that. Lefty Eric Milton (8- 8, 5.19 ERA) and righty Kyle Lohse (3- 5, 4.57 ERA), both of whom have been inconsistent, will be the third and fourth starters. Matt Belisle (2- 0, 3.60 ERA) comes in from the pen to get a shot at the fifth position. David Weathers (4- 4, 3.54 ERA, 12 SV) looks to be the closer with Mike Stanton (4- 2, 3.09, 8 SV) a potential second choice in that role.
Cincinnati’s .257 team batting mark was the second worst in the NL. They need a healthy Ken Griffy Jr. (.252 BA, 75 RBI, 27 HR) and a rejuvenated Adam Dunn (.234 BA, 92 RBI, 40 HR) to get on track. Edwin Encarnacion (.276 BA, 72 RBI, 15 HR) and Brandon Phillips (.276 BA, 75 RBI, 17 HR) did well last season and can do even better.
Tied for 14th in fielding with a .979 percentage and placing 10th in double plays, the club looks to improve with the addition of Alex Gonzalez at shortstop. Encarnacion at third needs to work on his defensive game. This will be a telling handicapping stat on whether or not the Reds can move up in the central division.
Freshman GM Wayne Krisky had this team contending for first in the division and a Wild Card spot last season. He’s made a few more improvements for 2007, adding the sure-handed Gonzalez and veteran hitter Jeff Conine. Last year in his first full season, manager Jerry Narron did a fine job. These guys look solid.
Although this club has some fine starting pitching, it also has some big question marks in the rotation, the bullpen and at the plate. Learning more about baseball betting, check out the game odds page explaning how a typical baseball line works.
Check out the Reds other NL central division rivals, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros.
For more info on Cincinnati check out the MLB website for the Reds.
2007 MLB Preview
All 30 MLB teams are covered in our annual 2007 MLB season preview from Maddux Sports. We have broken down the teams into the divisions the play in. To find the baseball preview of your favorite team click on the division they play in and read up on our division predictions as well as individual MLB team previews. Click here to return to the current baseball preview page.
07 MLB Team Previews
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